My 8 books/month project: February update

Before we start, a note: This article doesn’t contain affiliate links because I have no idea how to use them.

It is February 18th, one day before the 145th anniversary of a Romanian sculpture called Brancusi (which if you weren’t familiar with, I recommend you check out), 4 days after Valentines and 17 books into my year.

After a rollercoaster of some-lows-and-many-highs 2020, back in December I decided to set up a goal I’ve had had my eyes on for a while.

In 2021, I was going to read 100 books.

Books from wide genres, both fiction and non-fiction, short books, long books, ebooks, paperbacks, audiobooks, hardcovers and everything in between.

Now, of course there are people out there that read more than that, and there are also people that are perfectly happy to read one book and be done with it. But for me, books have always been a bit of a weakness, and while it’s definitely not all about the quantifiably satisfying forms of success and self-overcoming, this goal gave me little goosebumps of joy.

So without further ado, on this day of February 18th, how is it going?

Between January 1st and February 18th I have read:

17 books, broken down into:

• 4 audiobooks
• 1 financial literacy book
• 3 books in Italian, which I’m learning currently
• 3 books about spirituality/buddhism/meditation
• 2 books that could vaguely fit under professional development books

And here’s the detailed breakdown

Book #1: Shamanism made easy by Christa MacKinnon

🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: This is a little practical guide written in plain language about common shamanic practices, what shamanism actually is and how to integrate some of those practices in your life, should you want to do that. I actually discovered a lot of the intuitive rituals I design in my life have an element of shamanism in them, which was unexpected as this wouldn’t normally be a book I’d pick up.

Book #2: Healing Emotions by Daniel Goleman

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: This was a great gem for anyone looking to explore buddhist thought and meditation. A book that summarizes conversations between the Dalai Lama and western scientists on Mindfulness, Emotions and Health. There’s a few tens more of this, since there’s one book for every Mind and Life meeting.

Book #3: The Wisdom of Psychopaths

🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: One of my ambitions is reading widely this year, so what better jump than from buddhist thought to psychopaths? This book was a bit sensationalist at times but was a good perspective on the mind and an eye-opener for what kind of skills bring people to power (specifically, the board room)

Book #4: The Lean Startup

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: A classic I’ve had on my list for a while, and finally got to it. Not many details needed on this one, only that I’d definitely recommend the audiobook, which is read by Eric himself.

Book #5: Jonathan Livingstron Seagull

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: I picked this up based on a recommendation, it is a short and gorgeous little book that reminded me of The Little Prince somehow. Made it into my all time favourite little philosophical nuggets.

Book #6: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: I had higher expectations of this (it ended up being overly preachy spiritual at the end) but nonetheless a nice collections of stories of wisdom from the old and dying.

Book #7: The Wind in The Willows

🌟/5

Short summary: I fell asleep multiple time reading this, which never happens, so not much to say in favour of it:)

Book #8: The Midnight Library

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: A gentle and sometimes confronting exploration of life, death, regret and the world of possibilities. One of the highlights of the books of this year to date.

Book #9:Investing Made Simple: Investing in Index Funds Explained in 100 Pages or Less

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: This year I’m continuing my self-taught financial education and this book was a good reminder of the basics. I recommend it to anyone looking for a clear introduction or refresh on investment principles.

Book #10: L’ultimo giorno di Roma (The Last Day of Rome)

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: Next up, another Italian book, this time about the history of Rome and the Great Fire. Alberto Angela is really a master of visual storytelling and this book transports you straight into Ancient Rome.

Book #11: Time Off: A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: This was the discovery of the year and it’s only February. Never have I made so many annotations in a non-fiction piece of writing. So so wonderful and important and eye-opening (or rather re-opening)

Book #12: Untamed

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: I had this on my list for a while and found an excuse to read it with my Covid bookclub crew. This is a courageous memoir about what feminism, limiting beliefs and courage, all wrapped in a good dose of badassery.

Book #13: Discovering Kinbaku: What my Adventures in Japan Taught Me About the Art of Erotic Rope Bondage

🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: There are not many good books out there on japanese rope bondage. I had higher expectations of this one since the author has a particularly insightful ways of talking about the topic and the complexities of the field, but the book itself felt too much like a call to the kinkaku community rather than an exploration of the art.

Book #14: Lessico famigliare

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: Heart-warming exploration of family life of a jewish family between the thirties and fifties, and another Italian book for my practice.

Book #15: La boutique del mistero

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: Next in my quest to build up my Italian, this was a gorgeous collection of dark Kafka-like short stories by the Italian author Dino Buzzati.

Book #16: The Neo-Generalist

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: What a book, this one. I may be biased here because it helped unlock some serious imposter syndrome I had building up (which sounds something like ‘I like everything and could become good at anything so what even am I good at’. Yes, a bit of a self-confident problem to have but it’s been a struggle in my professional and personal life since forever). This book allows you to break free from labels and embrace the generalist and unstoppable curiosity as an actual strength instead of a ‘lack of focus’, which is often how society sees the neo-generalist. If there’s a label out there I’d accept, it’s definitely this one.

Book #17: Room to Dream

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Short summary: If you’re interested in the creative process, this one is a great insight into David Lynch’s art.

Until next time!